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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
prior to the Sunday they are needed |
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Ash Wednesday
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
Ash Wednesday
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
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Two
Cheers for Catholic Guilt
(February 17, 2010)
Bottom line: As we begin Lent, the Bible readings invite us to
acknowledge our personal wrong doing - our guilt.
Today is Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the holy season of Lent. The
readings for Ash Wednesday bring us face to face with an unpopular
reality: guilt. Sometimes we hear jokes about "Catholic guilt" or
"Irish guilt." But the fact is, every person who has reached the age of
reason, experiences guilt. Those who have no faith - those who do not
believe in God - often experience a form of guilt much worse than
anything we can imagine.
Take for example, the famous Princeton professor, Peter Singer. Singer
does believe in God or Judeo-Christian morality. Instead, he follows
the Benthamite philosophy that each conscious individual counts as one
– and therefore our duties are the same to strangers as to family
members. With this philosophy, he feels he should not show more concern
for his mother than for any other human being - or even a higher
animal, like an ape or dolphin. Yet, when his mother was dying with
Alzheimer's, he devoted thousands of dollars to her care. Later on, he
felt guilty about it. He said that he could have better devoted those
resources to helping the poor.
Whatever you think of Peter Singer, his philosophy causes him a
terrible form of guilt - an unappeasable guilt. He actually feels
guilty about helping his mother. I don't know about you, but: Compared
to that kind of guilt, I'll take "Catholic guilt" any day. We do not
ask you to feel guilty about every human being. Or every animal. We do
not ask you to feel guilty about the planet.* We ask you to feel guilty
about your sins - those knowing and deliberate violations of God's
law.**
I won't go into specifics now, but this Sunday I will give more detail
about what things are sinful. Today, as we begin Lent, the Bible
readings invite us to acknowledge our personal wrong doing - our guilt.
The prophet Joel tells us to weep, fast and mourn - to return to God.
To be grateful that God is "slow to anger, rich in kindness and
relenting in punishment."
In his mercy God has given us a second chance. Don't miss this
opportunity. Lent 2010 may be the final one for you or me - maybe for
all of us. St. Paul says, "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold,
now is the day of salvation." The apostle pleads with us "not to
receive the grace of God in vain."
The first step of Lent is to face personal guilt. To acknowledge one's
sins, I know no better prayer than the Psalm we heard today.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is always before me...
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and willing spirit sustain in me.
I once prayed that Psalm with a girl who had an abortion. Even though
in some way she felt she had "no choice," afterwards she recognized how
terrible to take the life of her own developing child. The Psalm,
acknowledging guilt, brought her great consolation - and she said she
would pray it often.
Once we have acknowedged guilt, Jesus then asks us to do something
positive: to pray, to fast, to give the poor. As Pope Benedict said,
those are our three "tasks" for lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
In the bulletin, I explain more what those practices mean.
Before receiving the blessed ashes on our foreheads, please consider
what you will do during these forty days of Lent. The lenten practices
will give you great peace. You may not help every person and every
innocent animal. You may not save the the planet - but you will do your
part. Acknowledge your genuine guilt, place it before the Lord and then
do something practical: pray, fast and give alms. your Father, who
knows the secrets of your heart, he will reward you.
************
*Now: Whatever a person makes of "global warming" or "climate change,"
every Christian should embrace a modest lifestyle - a lifestyle that
results in the least possible waste and pollution. Nevertheless, we
also have to recognize the trap of making environmentalism into a
religion. It can be a convenient way to avoid facing a worse pollution
in one's heart - and one's relationships.
**I titled this homily "Two Cheers" because (both as a confessor and as
a sinner) I know how easy one can slide into false guilt: What St. Paul
calls 'worldly sadness which produces death.' (1 Cor 7:10) The Catholic
Church has always striven to distinguish between true guilt which leads
to repentance and salvation and the 'false guilt' which leads to misery
and despair.
Prayers of Faithful for Ash Wednesday
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
Ash Wednesday
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
Ash Wednesday
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
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Joel 2, 12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Cor 5, 20-6,2; Matthew 6, 1-6. 16-18
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
LENT. Ashes. Fasting. Fish on Fridays.
These and many more things come to mind as we begin again this most
important period of preparation in the Church year. Though the Church
requires fasting and abstinence, these are not the most important
things about Lent. Fasting and abstinence are no help to us unless they
move us to deeper prayer, bring us to a deeper commitment to the most
important truths about our life in Christ: baptism, forgiveness of sins
and a share in the Resurrection through conversion of heart and mind.
The Catechism speaks of this conversion, a renewal of baptismal grace
and vocation.
Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the
proclamation of the kingdom: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mk 1:15) In the
Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet
know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for
the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and
by Baptism (Cf. Acts 2:38) that one renounces evil and gains salvation,
that is, the forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life. (CCC
1427)
The Church from very early in her life has celebrated baptism for
converts each Easter. The aspects of fasting, penance, and other
disciplines of Lent, came into custom in imitation of our Lord in the
desert and as a way of helping those already baptized to spiritually
renew their own baptismal life. These are celebrated in anticipation of
the resurrection promised to all the baptized in Christ's own rising
from the dead on that first "Lord's Day."
Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before
him, does not aim first at outward works, "sackcloth and ashes,"
fasting and nortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior
conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false;
however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs,
gestures and works of penance. (CCC 1430)
Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of
Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the
whole Church who "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and
always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of
penance and renewal." (Lumen Gentium 8, 3)This endeavor of conversion
is not just a human work. It is the movement of a "contrite heart,"
drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who
loved us first. (Ps 51:17; cf. Jn 6:44; 12:32; 1 Jn 4:10) (CCC 1428)
Let us pray for all who are preparing to enter the Church at Easter,
whether through baptism or profession of our Roman Catholic faith for
the first time. And may our own fasting, penance, almsgiving and prayer
be the seeds which promise a more abundant life in Jesus Christ our
Risen Lord.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy"---Father Cusick
( Publish with permission.) www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
Ash Wednesday |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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